I feel that English food has a bad reputation from people from around the world, but I don’t know why. Marie-Laure in particular was indeed guilty of having a bad perception of my countries dishes… she has since discovered that England is not such a scary place. Marie-Laure is for sure a foodie, and normally she is the one who leads the way to the best places to eat in each city we go to, but when she comes to England, I have a big say in where we decide to go (although, not complete control, a French woman can’t let an Englishman be the food expert…). Here is some of our favourite things to eat in my home country.
- Full English Breakfast
A traditional meal in England, perfect for hangovers if you’re partying the night before. Sausages, bacon, egg, mushrooms, tomato, beans, hash browns, toast, and you have to try black pudding, and most importantly the cup of tea. Forget all the flavoured teas that are so popular abroad, stick to the classic English breakfast tea – perfect! Find any cafe (not coffee shops) or a Wetherspoons and enjoy. Note that in Wetherspoons they are only available before 12pm (breakfast), but you may also find ‘all-day breakfasts in some pubs.
- Fish and Chips
Don’t be surprised if it comes in a newspaper or a box, it may not look michelin star or be as fancy as a brunch in France, but this is a real English meal, traditionally eaten on Fridays, but try it any day. Marie-Laure first tried authentic fish and chips when we visited Sheffield for the day, we took it to city centre gardens and ate in the sun. Also, this is a requirement if you are visiting an English seaside.
- Nandos
Albeit, it’s not English, but it’s a big thing here. There is a whole culture around it. It’s a restaurant dedicated to chicken (but also available to vegetarians and vegans). You will find one in most cities, and it’s definitely something you should try. Marie-Laure is obsessed, everytime she comes to England now, we have to go to Nandos.
- Roast Dinner
Take your pick from a selection of meats, the famously British roast beef, chicken, pork, lamb or turkey. Yorkshire puddings have to be involved, vegetables, roast potatoes, they are all needed, but there is one thing that is more important than the rest… gravy. When we lived in Germany, I missed gravy, especially because of the fact that I am from the North. This is the meal my mum made when Marie-Laure came to visit my family for the first time, and she didn’t disappoint.
- Curry
Again, not English, but we have adopted it as one of our favourites. There are many places to find an amazing curry. In Manchester, an area known as curry mile is a food bucket list if you’re visiting. Whether you like spices or not, we sure know how to do it here.
To drink, well there’s nothing better than a good old cup of English tea, with milk… or you could just have a Carling.
England should not be a scary place for outsiders to come to in terms of food. We have so many chains and have a huge variety of flavours from around the world. It makes me happy that Marie-Laure’s idea of food here has changed, and now she loves it. So I will repeat, a Frenchie likes food in England, that’s my sales pitch done.
Let us know of any places or foods that you love here in the UK in the comments below or tell us on social media.
Alex.
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